[doganjo]

This is about one third grass and two thirds gravel, half an acre in total.  Any ideas what to do with it.  Dogs don't like running on it as it hurts their feet.

[bloomer]

depends on lots of stuff

guess it still needs to be driven on because of the garage etc, does all the area still need to be drtiven on can some of it go back to lawn?

as for a drive on surface that wont hurt paws, there are several choices but the costs will be quite high for an area that size.

[doganjo]

Sorry, I wasn't very detailed, was I -    I don't use the garage for the car - it is my kennels and lawn mower store. So practically all of the area can be changed but I have no money - on a pension!  So need a cheap option.  The bottom bit floods now the railway line hard landscaping is there, up to about 9 inches.  Don't really want more grass as I already have half an acre of that at the front of the house plus the large area beside the gravel in the picture.  The dogs don't need to be on it at all I was just commenting that they don't like it as that means it's unusable for dog runs.  The dogs have an hour or more free running in forest every day.

[Hermit]

I see there is a caravan . How about renting the space out to caravan owners to park theirs on. I know of a few places that do this and they are always full. Security and insurance will have to be looked into but rent costs should sort that out

[Beewyched]

What about a "Pot Orchard" Annie?  NO, NOT THAT SORT  the ones that grow on dwarf rootstock, ericaciuos (sp?) pots of blueberries etc- could look very pretty & productive? Won't make a mess & could be moved (with help) if space needed.

[doganjo]

Hermit - that was my motor home which I sold last year.  Wouldn't want comings and going like that, but thanks for the idea - my drive is shared with my neighbour behind me, don't think they'd be happy either and they are superb neighbours.
Beewyched - thought about something similar but it would have to be permanent as I couldn't manage to shift anything heavy - raised beds.  My son is good at 'finding' pallets so I'm hoping he'll come over soon to help set up a couple for me.  I'd have to disguise them though somehow, any ideas?  But it is an absolutely huge area.  Donald thought about a polytunnel as I was given loads of plastic sheeting but I'm not sure I could justify it as I'm not very good at growing stuff.  I don't like asking him to do so much either and I am just not fit enough to tackle all of that myself.

[Beewyched]

Annie, the "Pot Orchard" could be permanent as long as they were heavy enough not to get blown over. 

The raised beds/pallets - when we can get hold of them, my OH uses them for the pigs, by filling in the gaps with cheap strips of timber (1"x2"?) to stop them from getting little limbs caught up.  Could you do the same for your raised beds?  Line them with weed fabric & paint the outsides?

I've read some horror stories about plastic sheeting & polytunnels - though would be ok for cloches.

You can't be THAT bad at growing stuff Annie - get some seeds & get sowing 

[doganjo]

Oh YES I am, bought a couple of these wee cloche thingys with plugs in them from Aldi's last week (6 toms, 6 caulis)- put them out in my unheated conservatory - forgot about them and they are now wilting.   Have drowned them today so they MAY recover.    It's not that I don't love them, I just forget they are there and other things take my mind space up. 

[Beewyched]

Oh Dear 

Maybe you need to put them where you will see them every day - or a note on the fridge door 

[doganjo]

Oh Dear  

Maybe you need to put them where you will see them every day - or a note on the fridge door  

Hmmm, fridge door may be a good solution - will give that a try.  Actually as of next week it may not be a problem as hopefully my plumber will be connecting the radiator and I'll be using the conservatory more.  Only problem with that is that I'll see all that gravel every day instead of avoiding the issue! 

[Fleecewife]

How about this for a plan Annie.  If your son can source some timber for one long raised bed, you could host a 'Barbeque and Build-a-bed' event at yours for CSSA members - bring your own everything from food to compost, topsoil and manure.  Before the barbeque is ready, everyone helps to build the bed - extra tall so you don't have to lean down too far or get on your knees to work it.  Put a layer of gravel in the bottom for extra drainage (you've got plenty  ) and to fill any extra depth, then add in all the donated topsoil, compost and lovely well-rotted FYM.  This needs someone to organise other than you....Happy Hippy's organisational and inspirational skills are legendary  .  I will volunteer a sack each of my super topsoil and well rotted sheep manure, plus some back copies of Kitchen Garden magazine to get things started.
Just go for one bed initially so you can see how you go.  This year, by the time it's built, you might only manage salad crops, but that would give it time to settle and be ready for more stuff next year.  You could grow all the carrots, beetroot, salads, courgette, herbs and so on that you would eat in a year in a bed about 8 or 10 feet long. For disguising the beds, you could either paint the outsides  or weave willow and hedgerow twigs into pretty cover-up panels.    Do you think that could work?

Another cheap but cheerful idea again relies on your son to do the initial sourcing, but he should be able to find blue barrels easily, for about £10 each.  One could be set up on a plinth, with the base higher than the top of your raised bed, to catch rainwater from your garage/doghouse roof.  Attach a hose and you won't have to lug watering cans around the place.  Others could be cut in half or thirds with holes drilled in the bottom, painted in cheery colours to suit your scheme, then planted up with herbs, fruit trees, tomatoes etc. Siting on the gravel would mean they were well drained and safe from the dogs, and easy to reach in all weathers.
For your new tomato plants, they are probably too cold in an unheated conservatory, unless it is consistently above about 10-14 degrees.

[doganjo]

How about this for a plan Annie.  If your son can source some timber for one long raised bed, you could host a 'Barbeque and Build-a-bed' event at yours for CSSA members - bring your own everything from food to compost, topsoil and manure.  Before the barbeque is ready, everyone helps to build the bed - extra tall so you don't have to lean down too far or get on your knees to work it.  Put a layer of gravel in the bottom for extra drainage (you've got plenty  ) and to fill any extra depth, then add in all the donated topsoil, compost and lovely well-rotted FYM.  This needs someone to organise other than you....Happy Hippy's organisational and inspirational skills are legendary  .  I will volunteer a sack each of my super topsoil and well rotted sheep manure, plus some back copies of Kitchen Garden magazine to get things started.
Just go for one bed initially so you can see how you go.  This year, by the time it's built, you might only manage salad crops, but that would give it time to settle and be ready for more stuff next year.  You could grow all the carrots, beetroot, salads, a courgette, herbs and so on that you would eat in a year in a bed about 8 or 10 feet long. For disguising the beds, you could either paint the outsides  or weave willow and hedgerow panels into a pretty cover-up.    Do you think that could work?

Another cheap but cheerful idea again relies on your son to do the initial sourcing, but he should be able to find blue barrels easily, for about £10 each.  One could be set up on a plinth, with the base higher than the top of your raised bed, to catch rainwater from your garage/doghouse roof.  Attach a hose and you won't have to lug watering cans around the place.  Others could be cut in half or thirds with holes drilled in the bottom, painted in cheery colours to suit your scheme, then planted up with herbs, fruit trees, tomatoes etc. Siting on the gravel would mean they were well drained and safe from the dogs, and easy to reach in all weathers.
For your new tomato plants, they are probably too cold in an unheated conservatory, unless it is consistently above about 10-14 degrees.

Brilliant!  Where do I find the blue barrels?  I'm quite happy to buy them if Donald can collect them - might even manage that myself - got Zafira will travel!

[Beewyched]

BLUE BARRELS !!!

We found a few down the woods when we opened it out for the pigs & thought we could use them for something - rain water collection, pig troughs, planters, duck bath etc etc - the ideas seemed endless 

BUT

What's left of the labels, seems to say ".. silage additive..." "caustic..." we've rolled them back up the top of the woods & put them in one of the landlords unused barns 

Is there a way of cleaning them out to make them safe for any of the above uses

[Fleecewife]

Ours were already clean when we got them but I'll ask a friend who has a brother who...............   and let you know what I find out.

[HappyHippy]

My dad bought some blue barrells from somewhere round about Glasgow - I'll make some enquiries for you 
Karen x